


reunion

by yourbumblebee



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, short one-shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23149906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourbumblebee/pseuds/yourbumblebee
Summary: The moonstone and sundrop have been reunited and Zhan Tiri has been defeated. Cassandra has been away from Corona for a year, trying to regain her sense of identity. But she comes home just in time for Corona's most celebrated occasion, and she isn't the only one happy she's home.
Relationships: Cassandra & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider (Disney), Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 2
Kudos: 112





	reunion

**Author's Note:**

> this was originally written for the cassunzel committee secret santa 2019! it was written prior to the series finale, but still fits in perfectly with the tangled canon!

Cassandra felt stupid, to say the least. Sitting on the balcony of the castle overlooking Corona, trying to gather her bearings over the noise of the party raging on in the ballroom behind her.

It was just like her to return home in the middle of Rapunzel and Eugene’s wedding. As much as she wished she could say it was coincidental, she couldn’t lie to herself. She’d always had a connection to Corona and especially to Rapunzel, and fate always had worked in strange ways for them.

Cassandra didn’t know why she was so nervous. She’d exchanged letters with Rapunzel while she was away, and although she’d tried to hide it for Cass’s sake, she was able to read the princess well enough to know that despite her best efforts to give Cass the space she needed to heal, she missed her and was desperate to have her back.

Maybe it was the circumstance. If the noise of dining royals was any indication, the wedding ceremony had already happened and Rapunzel was in the midst of celebrating her new marriage. How could she just barge in unannounced and play it off as pure coincidence?

Rapunzel had tried to smother any outside chatter of Cassandra’s betrayal after Zhan Tiri had been defeated, but she knew that ultimately those efforts were fruitless. Barging in on nobility that didn’t care enough to know what really happened surrounding her taking the moonstone probably wasn’t the smartest idea, even if Rapunzel was there to shut down any negative talk.

She had grown used to shutting out her feelings. She specialized in putting up a wall around her heart. In her eyes, emotion was vulnerability. She had learned that the hard way when the Enchanted Girl had taken advantage of her mental and emotional weakness and had used that to turn her against Rapunzel. And despite trying to work on that flaw of hers while she was away, that was a part of her that she didn’t think she’d ever really get rid of.

As she snuck through the secret passages in the castle that she knew by heart, anticipating finally getting to reunite with Rapunzel, she tried to shut down the hurt she felt when she realized what event she had barged into. She had known this was coming, Eugene had successfully proposed before Cassandra left Corona. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

Cassandra groaned, trying to distance herself from her thoughts as she anxiously rubbed her forehead, struggling to figure out her next move. But as she heard the door between her and the ballroom creaked open, Cass realized she wouldn’t have to make that choice.  
“Cass…?”

The woman’s eyes widened, her heart stopping in her chest as she turned around so quickly she was almost afraid she’d fall over the railing of the balcony. “R-Rapunzel…?” She stuttered, almost not believing the luck that she of all people had found her rather than some duke stepping outside for some fresh air and finding Cassandra instead. 

Getting ahold of herself wasn’t much better, because that allowed her to fully take in Rapunzel’s appearance and that certainly wasn’t doing any favors for her already erratically beating heart.

To say she looked beautiful would have been an understatement. Rapunzel had always been gorgeous to Cass; blonde hair or brunette hair, clothed in pastel pinks and purples or clothed in deep violets and golden jewelry, covered in paint or dressed for a royal ball. Circumstance had never really mattered in Cassandra’s eyes, but she would be lying if she said that Rapunzel looked anything less than angelic in her wedding attire.

Her wedding veil, which had undoubtedly been present during the ceremony, had been shed so that nothing remained on her head except her crown. Her gown was simple, a rich white with golden designs littering the bodice and the skirt, with the under layer of the skirt being pink with similarly styled designs in a darker pink. It barely skimmed the floor, and Cassandra was unsurprised to see Rapunzel’s bare toes peeking out.

Cassandra’s mouth went dry, and thankfully Rapunzel’s voice saved her from inevitably making an absolute fool of herself. “Is… is it really you?”

“Yeah, it is.” Cassandra said softly, her breath hitching as her lips curved up into a smile. It had only been a year, but hearing Rapunzel’s voice again after what seemed like so long was like music to her ears. This wasn’t exactly the reunion she had been hoping for, but since when did things actually go according to plan for them?

Instead of responding, Rapunzel sprinted across the balcony and before Cassandra could register what had just happened, the princess had her wrapped up in a tight hug.

Cassandra was usually opposed to physical contact, even after a year away from Rapunzel. But Cass didn’t have the heart to pull away, and even if she did, something in her softened and melted at the feel of Rapunzel’s body pressed against hers. The feeling of uncomfort that she usually felt after physical contact never came; and Cassandra realized that it had been so long, so long, that maybe she’d let herself have this… just this once.

After a moment of clinging to each other, they finally reluctantly pulled apart. Rapunzel looked next to tears, not letting go of Cassandra’s arms despite having pulled away from the embrace.

“Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to start! How have you been? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back, you are staying for good right? How was the journey back? Are you hungry? I could bring some food and drinks out! Oh gosh you look like you’ve been in a hurry, come inside I’ll help get you settled back in and you’ll be back to castle life in no time!” Rapunzel ranted, her eyes never leaving Cass’s until she turned around to pull her into the ballroom.

“Woah, woah woah woah.” Cassandra laughed, gently pulling Rapunzel back, causing the smaller girl to stop in her tracks. Cassandra had grown accustomed to the princess’s excited rambles over the years, so it wasn’t difficult to keep up with her questions. And despite wanting to answer them, she mainly wanted to remind Rapunzel that this was her wedding and she shouldn’t just drop everything to pamper Cass when she was okay the way she was.

“This is your wedding, Raps. Just because I came home unexpectedly doesn’t mean you should completely abandon the biggest celebration in Corona since you came home.” She said gently, rubbing Rapunzel’s arms in an attempt to calm her down. “I’m fine, I promise. I came at a bad time and was just trying to figure out the best course of action.”

Rapunzel took a deep breath, slowly nodding her head. “Okay. Right, sorry, heat of the moment excitement.” She giggled, brushing a lock of brown hair behind her ear in a movement that made Cass’s heart skip a beat in a way she does not want to think about at Rapunzel’s wedding of all places.

“So, what gives? Biggest day of your life and you’re hiding outside away from the party?” Cassandra finally pulls away, leaning against the railing of the balcony as she looks at the princess curiously.

“Oh, right.” Rapunzel muttered lowly. “Even now I’m still just… not used to this many people. Especially not for something as private and special as a wedding. I know being royalty means that any wedding I have will be a public event but it’s just.. overwhelming.” She admitted, and Cass nodded in understanding. Rapunzel was a social butterfly, thriving in places where she got to interact with other people. But her struggle came with interacting with other royals. No matter how long she’d been a princess, she hadn’t grown up into the life like others had. No matter what, she’d always have that air of foreignness around her. And despite trying her best to fit in, Rapunzel has vented to Cassandra on more than one occasion about how she wouldn’t fit in with them no matter what. And when added onto the fact that a wedding should be special and intimate, sharing it with a bunch of royals out of legal obligation was probably the last thing Rapunzel was comfortable with.

“I’ve had fun, really I have! It’s been an absolute dream come true.” Rapunzel gushed, and Cass softened at the look of love on her face. “But it’s hard to enjoy being newly married when every other minute, some duke I can’t remember the name of is pulling Eugene away and some duchess I don’t recognize is congratulating me and telling me how beautiful I look.”

Cassandra sympathized with her. She knew Rapunzel better than anyone except maybe Eugene and Pascal. She knew where Rapunzel was comfortable and where she wasn’t, and she’d undoubtedly been parading around with a smile on her face like she always did to hide what she was really feeling. They were similar in that way; they both tried to push their feelings down in ways that weren’t healthy.

“What do you say I serve as your buffer then, huh? The princess’s personal guard returning after a year away and showing up suddenly at her wedding. Given my reputation with a lot of these royals thanks to the moonstone, I’m sure my presence would scare them away enough to give you some space.”

Rapunzel laughed tearfully, launching herself at the taller woman once again. “Oh Cass, I missed you so much!” She said through a happy sob, burying her face in Cassandra’s neck.

Cassandra laughed, wrapping her arms around the girl’s waist as she rested her chin on top of her head. This time last year she would’ve laughed uncomfortably and gently pried the princess off of her, but as she grew more comfortable wrapped up in Rapunzel’s arms, Cass supposed that saying, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” must’ve been true.

A few seconds later, the moment was ruined by the man of the night himself. The two women pulled apart quickly at the sound of the door behind them opening once again, and were relieved to see Eugene instead of some unsuspecting royal.

“Sunshine? You oka-“ He stopped as his gaze landed on Cassandra. “Wh- Cass…?” He questioned, his hazel eyes widening in surprise. Given his reaction, he was just as shocked to find Cassandra hiding on the balcony as Rapunzel was a few moments prior.

“Hey, Fitzherbert. Did you really think you could get married without me being there?”

Within moments, Cassandra found herself wrapped up in the arms of both Eugene and Rapunzel. To say she was shocked would be an understatement, Eugene was only really affectionate with Rapunzel and he hadn’t made physical contact with her since before the moonstone incident. But as she sunk into the arms of her two favorite people, she found that she actually didn’t mind the affection.

“Welcome back, Cassandra.” He hummed, emphasizing the middle of her name in a way of pronouncing it that only he did. “Under normal circumstances I’d complain about you showing up just to crash my wedding,” he teased, “but I can make an exception just this once.”

Cassandra finally let the tears she felt building up in her eyes loose, choking on a sob as Rapunzel and Eugene’s arms tightened around her. And in the arms of the two people she loved the most who loved her back, Cassandra finally understood the true meaning of the word “home”. It wasn’t a place, it was a feeling, and it was the feeling she had while being with them. And she couldn’t have been happier to be home.


End file.
